Surfing and snowboarding are two of my passions. I'm working to scratch together the $$ to get top surgery this fall, how long do I have to abstain from surfing and snowboarding post op?

Surfing and snowboarding are two of my passions. I'm working to scratch together the $$ to get top surgery this fall, how long do I have to abstain from surfing and snowboarding post op?

Good question. I don't think there's a firm answer here. Every body heals a little differently.

This is relevant:

When can I take a shower or bath, or soak in a hot tub?
...You can use a hot tub 6-8 weeks post-operatively, but only for short periods. Wait 6 months to resume longer soaks.

Both surfing and snowboarding require a good amount of core strength and flexibility. I had full range motion back fairly quickly post-op but it was a while before I could put a lot of strength behind that. Plus, you want to make sure that you don't stretch your scars out, which means limiting how much you raise your arms above your shoulders.

I'd be concerned about the impact of a fall as well, either on the slopes or into the water. If you fell on your chest, or if you softened the fall with your arms, you could do some damage which would suck. I still had some pain 10 months post-op lying on my front, which was only fixed with a revision surgery. Falling into the water with that would have hurt quite a bit, I think.

Also relevant is how hard you play. If you're into big waves and fast slopes, you'd probably want to take more time off than if you were into more easy going surfing and boarding.

If you're having surgery in the fall, I'd probably look at staying off the slopes for the winter and look forward to the summer of surfing. If you're really active and the idea of that sounds like a drag, you could develop a strength and conditioning program that would keep you active in the winter and prepare you for a great summer of POST-OP surfing!!

ps. Your surgeon will likely have some good input on this.

Sweet! Thanks so much! I officially got my date and it is May 12! I might lose a summer of surfing but... it'll be worth it!

Surfing and snowboarding are two of my passions. I'm working to scratch together the $$ to get top surgery this fall, how long do I have to abstain from surfing and snowboarding post op?

Good question. I don't think there's a firm answer here. Every body heals a little differently.

This is relevant:

When can I take a shower or bath, or soak in a hot tub?
...You can use a hot tub 6-8 weeks post-operatively, but only for short periods. Wait 6 months to resume longer soaks.

Both surfing and snowboarding require a good amount of core strength and flexibility. I had full range motion back fairly quickly post-op but it was a while before I could put a lot of strength behind that. Plus, you want to make sure that you don't stretch your scars out, which means limiting how much you raise your arms above your shoulders.

I'd be concerned about the impact of a fall as well, either on the slopes or into the water. If you fell on your chest, or if you softened the fall with your arms, you could do some damage which would suck. I still had some pain 10 months post-op lying on my front, which was only fixed with a revision surgery. Falling into the water with that would have hurt quite a bit, I think.

Also relevant is how hard you play. If you're into big waves and fast slopes, you'd probably want to take more time off than if you were into more easy going surfing and boarding.

If you're having surgery in the fall, I'd probably look at staying off the slopes for the winter and look forward to the summer of surfing. If you're really active and the idea of that sounds like a drag, you could develop a strength and conditioning program that would keep you active in the winter and prepare you for a great summer of POST-OP surfing!!

ps. Your surgeon will likely have some good input on this.

Sweet! Thanks so much! I officially got my date and it is May 12! I might lose a summer of surfing but... it'll be worth it!

Alright! Congratulations on booking surgery! Even if you don't get to surf this summer, you'll get to surf the rest of your days with a flat chest. As you said, worth it!!